My Husband Wants a Gun in the House

A controversy is raging in household Bushatz, and its name is “gun ownership.”

Servicemembers are, by and large, weapons people. And why shouldn’t they be? If anyone knows how to use a weapon correctly and effectively, it’s a member of America’s military. Downrange their weapon is like an extra appendage. Back home it’s a tool for hunting, target practice, training and (if need be) protection.

But that doesn’t mean I like having one in the house.

Don’t get me wrong, of all guys on earth, my husband knows how to use his weapon correctly. He also knows how to safely store it so that our 3-year-old (or anyone else for that matter) won’t be able to get his sticky little jam hands on it.

But I still don’t like it.

Of all people, you’d think I’d be OK with it. My father’s gun safe was his pride and joy. He held a license allowing him to buy and sell guns at will, using it to help private owners legally sell their weapons without going through an expensive shop or dealer. He took us to the firing range for target practice. There were never any accidents. Never any stories that ended with “and then he accidentally shot himself in the foot.” Never any reasons to not feel safe around guns.

But I still don’t want one in my house.

And then there is my husband. Why wouldn’t he want a gun in the house? He knows that it brings protection. He knows how to use it.

So the battle discussion rambles on. He says “yes,” I say “no.” He says “just a shot gun.” I say “then we should store the ammo somewhere entirely different.” He says “then what is the point of that?”

And our final decision? Well, I’m not going to tell you that because, frankly, I don’t want anyone knowing whether we have a gun in the house or not. We’ll call this my contribution to “PERSEC” for the day.

Is this a debate in your home? How do you handle it.

About Amy Bushatz

Amy is the managing editor of Military.com’s spouse and family blog SpouseBuzz.com. A journalist by trade, Amy also covers spouse and family news for Military.com where she is an Associate Editor. An Army wife and mother of two, Amy has been featured as a subject matter expert on NPR and in the New York Times. Follow her on twitter @amybushatz.